I’ve found the bonding journals so very useful for my two boys that I thought I’d start one in case it helps others.
Roger was my first guy and I decided to get him a friend as I thought he was bored. He wasn’t altered and so to avoid lots more rabbits I got another male. I hadn’t done my research properly and quickly realized they both needed a trip to the vet before bonding could start.
Once they were altered and had lived in cages next to each other for the following 2 months to allow their hormones to subside I started bonding them. Again I didn’t research it properly and just let them both out together in the back yard. With so much space they basically did their own thing and when encountered each other fought. Not good. I started researching.
Next I tried a cardboard box. That worked ok and it was easy to stop fights beginning by shaking the box. However both were more intent on getting out of the box rather than focusing on each other and bonding. I also tried smushing and that worked well. So I decided to use a small area of a dog pen instead of the box. I smushed them first and then let them into the small area. They immediately fought and poor Roger put his foot through the cage bars and then must have jumped as he broke his foot. I felt terrible. So so guilty. We went straight to the vet and a lot of money and time later Roger is fixed and back to normal.
Part of me thought maybe I should just leave them be as I have enough space to accommodate them separately but I still felt they would enjoy each others company if we could just get past the fighting.
So after countless hours of research I started again. I tried the cardboard box in the car. Hopeless. Frost Just bit Roger constantly and Roger would try and climb out of the box with a desperate ‘please help me mum’ look in his eyes. So every evening I brought them inside and put them in the dog pen with part of the cage dividing them. No litter box, no food and not much room so they were forced to site next to each other through the bars. First few days they were up on hind legs trying to fight through the bars. Once the initial aggression subsided they would flop out with their noses touching. Surely this was progress!
Next I increased the pen size (still paranoid from the broken foot incident) and allowed them access to each other. I discovered that I needed to have the cage between them first to allow them to settle from being brought inside and then as long as I was supervising they would be calm around each other. Frost will approach Roger and then lie down with his nose under Roger and if I’m lucky Roger will groom. Very happy with the progress.
However this good behavior only exists when I supervise. The minute I move away Frost over exerts his dominance by chasing or nipping and Roger starts thumping. So I did more research and wondered if I was hindering the process by being too involved. So last night I tried the cardboard box again. No good. Same as before Frost nipping, Roger desperately trying to get out. I put them in the pen but Roger was too worked up and every time Frost approached would run away and thump. I feel we have taken a step backwards.
My plan for tonight is back to the pen. Then once they are calm (often with me starting the process with a smusch) I plan to slowly over the upcoming days move my supervising chair away from the pen an inch at a time. If I can keep Roger calm and to begin grooming again there may be hope. I have also started a rabbit diary to keep count of length of time in the pen together without nips so I can judge if we are making progress.
I will try and keep this journal updated and if anyone has any advice to move from this ok when supervised stage to ok unsupervised I’d be very grateful